The statewide (Maryland) educational accountability plan described in this report was adopted in 1973 and called for the development and establishment of the following: statewide goals in reading, writing, and mathematics; local goals and objectives in each of 24 school systems in conformance with state goals; a comprehensive and uniform statewide…

The results of a 1976 study, "Measures of Institutional Goal Achievement" (MIGA), based on a survey of 1,150 faculty, administrators, and trustees at 45 American colleges and universities are presented, and implications for the work of college planners and administrators are assessed. Respondents, answering questions about goal priorities and…

In response to the Pennsylvania State Board of Education's request that the Pennsylvania Association of Colleges and Universities (PACU) and the Pennsylvania Association of Private School Administrators recommend solutions to the problem of unnecessary duplication of academic programs, a one year inventory of postsecondary degree programs in the…

Competency-based education is a model that needs research and development before it can be successfully translated into classroom practices for teaching higher reading skills. Competency-based programs of reading instruction that stress cognitive rather than low-level skills may encounter difficulty in performing a logical task analysis of higher…

Under P.L. 93-647 major changes in the child support enforcement system were mandated. The law became Part D of Title IV of the Social Security Act; thus, the child support enforcement program is commonly referred to as the IV-D program. This comprehensive measure brought into existence a major federal agency to correct the problem of desertion…

Presented is an overview of the operation of the special education systems used in Project SHARE (Sharing High Yield Accountability with Resource Educators). It is explained that the project grew out of a need to provide service for handicapped children in a sparsely populated area and that the only constants are daily measuring and diagnosing,…

Ten selected emerging trends in the field of early childhood education are discussed in this conference address: (1) a reevaluation of the view that early childhood education is a panacea; (2) greater emphasis on planned continuity between kindergartens and the primary grades; (3) increased use of multi-age grouping; (4) need for parenthood…

In Robinson V. Cahill, the New Jersey Supreme Court directed the Legislature to define the Constitutional phrase, "thorough and efficient education," and to develop a system of financing the public schools that would ensure such an education to all New Jersey citizens. As a result of this decision, equal educational opportunity can…

A contrast is drawn between "norm-referenced" grading (on the curve) and "criterion-referenced" grading (including contract). Most teachers incorporate both methods but without always being aware of the logic behind their grading procedures. It is suggested that the academic units of the University of Michigan must continue to…

Interrelations between the states and higher education are examined, and a generally optimistic outlook is presented. Two major sections are given, one commentary, the other descriptive. The commentary has these major themes: (1) American higher education, with federal, state, and private funding, has been comparatively effective; (2) some surplus…

Based on a research project titled "Institutional Structures for Improving Rural Community Services", this essay addresses the following questions: How can rural communities cope with public services of both limited quantity and quality? How can rural organizations and leadership be developed and maintained to force accountability on government…

This paper focuses on four participants in the public schools: parents, students, teachers, and administrators. These parties make up the key school community. This discussion highlights the rights and responsibilities of each of these major groups, especially in the curriculum, budget, and personnel areas of educational organization. In order to…

This book reports on public hearings that examined issues related to the question "Who controls the public schools?" The hearings concerned the citizen's role in the establishment of policy and in decision-making in the operation of the public schools. Hearings were held in Minneapolis, St. Louis, Portland (Oregon), Atlanta, and Los Angeles.…

Educational accountability, as linked to changing socioeconomic attitudes and conditions, is noted to have contributed to the decline of the audiolingual method of language instruction. Following a discussion of the pedagogical implications and inadequacies of audiolingual theory, the author analyzes the nature of this teaching methodology, first…

This report, the second in a three-volume study evaluating federally-supported day care in Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington, contains two sections: one examines the current level of day care services in the four states in relation to the proposed federal day care requirements; the other describes the structure of the individual state…